Our Indian Wedding Reception

Following on from our Indian wedding ceremony, our wedding reception was held from 7 p.m. at the same venue — MacRonnell’s Roof Garden, in Bandra.

A complete change of clothes is necessary for both the bride and groom, and their close family, after the wedding ceremony. For me, it was a chance to put on the traditional red sari that I was so looking forward to wearing. In India, red is the colour of marriage.

Back at the apartment in Bandra, I was once again dressed up and groomed, and covered in an excessive amount of makeup and bling. Fortunately, my misplaced mangal sutra (wedding necklace) was found in the apartment, so I wore it as well as the one that was borrowed for the ceremony.

Adding more bling.

Despite me having jewellery hanging off or attached to almost every body part, from head to toe, the Indian aunties thought I was still looking too plain. Their solution? To stick bindis in my hair. They were on a mission, and none of my protests could stop them.

Me, ready for the reception.

Me, before the reception.

At last I was ready for the reception. Running late as usual, we all rushed back to the venue.

My husband, ready for the reception.

My husband was waiting there, dressed up in a beautiful sherwani suit with long jacket. My husband’s youngest brother’s wife, who’s a fashion designer, had designed it. (She also designed my husband’s wedding outfit). It was all hand stitched, including the embroidery on the front and sleeves.

Newlyweds.

The photographer cornered us for some quick photos before we had to take up our positions on the stage.

In India, only close family and friends come to the wedding ceremony. However, guests from near and far come to the reception, no doubt for a free feed from the buffet! We kept the wedding reception as small as possible, but there were still almost 200 people there.

On the stage, with my husband's parents, and my mum and uncle.

The newlyweds are supposed to remain on the stage to greet each of the guests and receive their good wishes. If it’s a large wedding, this can take all night. After lining up and wishing the newlyweds well, the guests usually proceed to the buffet to start eating.

The bhangra band.

However, the arrival of the bhanga band (a surprise that my husband had arranged to liven up the night) interrupted the formalities.

Everyone started dancing.

The impact of the music on everyone was astonishing. One minute, the guests sitting sedately and talking amongst themselves. The next minute, they were up and breaking out in the most incredible dance moves I’d ever seen. It was just like in a Bollywood movie. Indians certainly aren’t shy when it comes to dancing. And they can all dance so well! I was so delighted and truly amazed.

My father-in-law joins in.

The band asked people to take it in turns dancing. Men, women, bride’s family, groom’s family. Even my father-in-law, who had apparently never danced before, was persuaded to join in.

Me, dancing.

I was also made to dance, and did the popular “change the light bulb” move. (My Indian dancing ability is very limited, although I like to try!).

My cousin on the dance floor.

The foreigners loved it, and spent a great deal of time on the dance floor. They were fully encouraged by the Indians, who were so happy to involve them in the dancing.

Guests at the buffet.

Sadly, the music had to end by 10.30 p.m. because the venue was outdoors. There are sound restrictions in Mumbai. Feasting at the buffet was still going strong though! Fortunately, the guests were pleased with the quality of the food (one of the most important factors in an Indian wedding reception).

Cutting the cake.

The night finished with the cutting of the cake. It was also my husband’s parent’s 50th wedding anniversary (they got married very young), so it was a double celebration.

Feeding each other cake.

As is tradition during celebrations, they fed each other pieces of cake. It was a really happy way to end the night. After it was all over, I sat down with my new in-laws to finally have dinner.

I enjoyed the reception immensely, and so did my family and friends. Some of them said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to. I was surprised to see my father-in-law, who is usually very reserved, being so animated though. He was talking and laughing with everyone, even my family — and he doesn’t speak English. It turns out that some of the guests from his apartment building got him drunk. It was even more amusing and sweet when he phoned my husband later in the night to wish him well, and ask him if there was anything he needed.

However, the thing that really warmed my heart most about the wedding was how well my family and my husband’s family bonded. I was so proud of my husband’s family and how welcoming they were. They really went out of their way to make sure my family were comfortable and enjoyed themselves. It can’t have been easy for my husband’s parents, who haven’t been around foreigners before and know very little about western customs. I was also proud of how open minded my family were, and how they accepted India and all it’s challenges.

Needless to say, both families commented on the friendliness of the other.

The success of the wedding was such a huge relief for my husband and I. We were concerned that there would be a divide between east and west, and disapproval from some people. We needn’t have worried. It actually ended up bringing everyone closer together.

My mother-in-law commented that it was such a good wedding, she should’ve invited more people. My father-in-law’s clients commented that the family business had now gone international.

My husband and I owe it all to the bhangra band, who made the night so much fun for everyone!

Related Posts:

1. Attending My First Indian Wedding
2. Our Indian Wedding Ceremony
3. 10 Days Remaining Until Our Wedding
4. 5 Days Remaining Until Our Wedding
5. My Mehendi Party
6. At Last I Have My Wedding Dress
7. Ganesh Visarjan and the Maha Street Party
8. Family & Friends Arrive for the Wedding

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